Will ‘Angry bird’ Daniela Ryf be in the Bay on September 1?

As thousands of athletes took to the start line at a number of events worldwide over the July 7-8 weekend, the window of opportunity to qualify for a spot at the Ironman 70.3 world championship in Nelson Mandela Bay closed.

To put this in perspective, Ironman hosts more than 80 70.3 events worldwide, each offering anything from 30 to 50 qualification slots to the shifting annual 70.3 world championship.

For a year, athletes have been battling it out for spots and points in the hope of making it to the start line in the Bay come September 1 and 2.

Can anyone race world champs?

If you top your age group or score a rolldown, yes.

The race in the Bay should feature the best of the best in Ironman 70.3 racing.

On July 5 I said we would look at the professional field to see who is in the running.

The qualification window for amateur athletes has closed, but the professional field still has a way to go.

Is the woman champion likely to make the trip to the Bay, and if she does, what are her chances?

The 70.3 world champions are Javier Gomez (men) and Daniela Ryf (women).

They earned their titles in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in September 2017.

That was probably one of the toughest courses in the 70.3 series, with the swim leg down the River Tennessee against a strong current; the bike course had several steep hills on a bumpy hard surface; and the run was just as undulating.

In Chattanooga, Ironman for the first time adopted a two-day format for the 70.3 world championship, the women running on the Saturday and the men on Sunday.

This is not only good for the sport, creating fair race conditions for the women, but also affords the host city two days’ coverage.

Ryf won this event in 2015. In 2016 she lost to Holly Lawrence in Australia.

The angry bird, as Ryf is known, gave her competitors no chance dominating the course, ending with an eightminute lead – and those who understand 70.3 racing will know that 8min is a long time.

Will Ryf be here on September 1?

She has raced only once in the Bay, winning the Ironman African Championship.

But in 2017 she did not defend her title.

With Kona only a month away, spotting the angry bird in the Bay might prove hopeful.